Method for extracting oil from a water and solids composition, method for the production of ethanol, and ethanol production facility

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure includes a method for processing a beer stream for the recovery of oil. The method include a step of extracting oil from a beer stream into an organic phase comprising an organic solvent to provide in the organic phase at least a portion of the oil. In general, a beer stream refers to a composition containing alcohol, water, oil, and particulates, and can be a result of a fermentation process. When the beer stream is a beer stream from a fermentation process, it can be referred to as a fermentation broth even if it is no longer being subjected to feinientation. The beer stream can contain other components commonly found in a stream coming off a fermentation process such as, for example, glycerol and acetic acid. A method for producing ethanol, and an ethanol production facility are provided.

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 14/011,342 that was filed with the United States Patent andTrademark Office on Aug. 27, 2013, which is a divisional application ofU.S. application Ser. No. 12/215,913 that was filed with the UnitedStates Patent and Trademark Office on Jun. 30, 2008 and which granted asU.S. Pat. No. 8,518, 673. This application claims priority to U.S.application Ser. No. 60/947,120 that was filed with the United StatesPatent and Trademark Office on Jun. 29, 2007. The entire disclosures ofU.S. application Ser. Nos. 14/011,342, 12/215,913, and 60/947,120 areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is directed to methods for extracting oil from awater and solids composition, to methods for the production of ethanol,and to an ethanol production facility.

BACKGROUND

Extraction of oil from edible items, such as grains (including corn),seeds, nuts, and legumes is common. Often, the item is ground, cracked,milled or otherwise processed to increase its surface area. Oil is thenextracted from the ground item using various methods. Other materialsare also commonly extracted from other vegetative materials.

One common method for extracting corn oil from corn is by using ethanol.Prior to contact with the ethanol, the corn kernels are crushed, flaked,milled, or otherwise modified into smaller pieces than the whole kernel.Because the majority of the oil is found in the germ of the kernel, thegerm is often separated from the rest of the kernel. Ethanol is passedover, through, and otherwise around the corn pieces, and the oil leachesfrom the corn into the ethanol, where it is carried away from theremaining corn solids. The oil is then recovered from the ethanol. Thisprocess, however, can be costly, due to the high amounts of energyneeded to separate the ethanol from the solids.

The recovery of oils from materials used in the fermentation process isdesirable. Efforts have been made for the recovery of oils from seedgerm prior to fermentation. For example, see Cao et al., EnzymaticHydrolysis of Corn Starch After Extraction of Corn Oil with Ethanol,Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Vol. 57/58, pages 39-47, 1996,and Hojilla-Evangelist et al., Sequential Extraction Processing ofFlaked Whole Corn: Alternative Corn Fractionation Technology for EthanolProduction, Cereal Chemistry, 1992.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A method for processing a water and solids composition for the recoveryof oil is provided according to the present invention. The methodinclude a step of extracting oil from a water and solids compositioninto an organic phase comprising an organic solvent to provide in theorganic phase at least a portion of the oil. The water and solidscomposition refers to a composition containing alcohol, water, oil, andparticulates. The oil can be associated with the solids, and thecomposition can be a result of a fermentation process. The water andsolids composition can be referred to as a beer stream when it resultsfrom fermentation. Because the beer stream is a result of a fermentationprocess, it can be referred to as a fermentation broth even if it is nolonger being subjected to fermentation. The beer stream can containother components commonly found in a stream coming off a fermentationprocess such as, for example, glycerol, acetic acid, and yeast or otheralcohol forming microorganism. In addition, the beer stream can includeadded material such as, for example, alcohol.

The alcohol in the water and solids composition (e.g., the beer stream)can assist with the separation of oil from the water and solidscomposition. One theory is that the alcohol interacts with the water ina manner that facilitates exposure or contact of the oil with theorganic solvent thereby enhancing the ability of the organic solvent topull the oil away from the solids. In order to assist with theextraction of the oil into the organic phase, the alcohol can be presentin the water and solids composition in an amount of about 5 wt. % toabout 30 wt. %, about 7 wt. % to about 20 wt. %, or about 10 wt. % toabout 17 wt. %. A portion of the alcohol can be added, if desired, toincrease the alcohol content to assist with extraction. For example,adding alcohol to provide a desired level of alcohol can increase theefficiency of the extraction process.

The water and solids composition can include oil that is desirable forrecovery. In the case of production of a beer stream, various materialscan be subjected to fermentation that include oil as a componentdesirable for recovery. Exemplary materials that can be fermented andthat include oils desirable for recovery include grains and fruits.Exemplary grains include wheat, corn, and rice. Exemplary fruits includecitrus fruits, and fermenting fruits. In addition, it may be desirableto recover oils that are added. For example, in the case of beer in thebeverage industry, the oil that could be recovered may be present as aresult of the hops or the yeast that has been added. Furthermore,materials that can be fermented include recycled materials that maycontain oil. For example, candy products may be fermented, and maycontain oils (e.g., aromatic oils such as spearmint) that may bedesirable for recovery. The beer stream can contain a sufficient amountof oil to provide a desirable amount of oil recovered therefrom. Forexample, the beer stream can contain about 0.5 wt. % oil to about 2.5wt. % oil. The step of extraction can provide for the recovery of atleast about 75%, at least about 80%, at least about 90%, or at leastabout 95% of the oil present in the beer stream.

The organic solvent in the organic phase can be selected by balancingseveral characteristics desirable for the organic phase including, forexample, the ability of the organic solvent to form a separate phasewhen mixed with beer stream (that is, the organic solvent is waterimmiscible), the ability of the organic solvent to pull the oil out ofthe beer stream in the presence of the alcohol, the low solubility ofthe organic solvent in alcohol, the relatively low evaporationtemperature compared with the oil, and a low latent heat ofvaporization. Examples of organic solvents suitable for extracting theoil from the beer stream include, for example, alkanes, alkenes, ethers,aromatic hydrocarbons, and mixtures thereof. The organic solvent can beprovided as a halogenated organic solvent. A preferred organic solventis hexane.

A method for producing ethanol is provided according to the presentinvention. The method includes steps of: fermenting a feed sourcecomprising sugar and oil to form a fermentation broth comprising alcoholwater, oil, and particulates; extracting oil from the fermentation brothinto an organic solvent phase comprising an organic solvent to providein the organic solvent phase at least a portion of the oil and forming adeoiled fermentation broth; and separating alcohol from the deoiledfermentation broth by distillation.

An ethanol production facility is provided according to the presentinvention. The ethanol production facility includes a source offermentation broth, a liquid-liquid extractor, and a distillationsystem. The source of fermentation broth can be provided from one ormore fermentors, and can be provided in a beer well. The fermentationbroth can include oil, ethanol, water, and particulates. Theliquid-liquid extractor is provided for the recovery of at least aportion of the oil from the fermentation broth, and includes an organicphase inlet, a fermentation broth inlet constructed to receivefermentation broth from the source of fermentation broth, a miscellaoutlet, and a deoiled fermentation broth outlet. The distillation systemis constructed to receive deoiled fermentation broth from theliquid-liquid extractor and provide a volatile stream comprisingconcentrated ethanol.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is schematic diagram of a prior art process for the productionethanol.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a process for producing ethanolaccording to the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a generic flow diagram showing oil extraction from a beerstream according to the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary oil extraction methodaccording to the principles of present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with the present disclosure, oil can be recovered frommaterials containing the oil by extraction with an organic solvent andwith alcohol. In the ethanol production industry, materials fermented toproduce ethanol often contain oils that are valuable for recovery. Anexemplary material commonly fermented to form ethanol is corn, and thereis value in recovering corn oil. Other materials can be fermented toproduce ethanol, and many of those materials also contain valuable oilsthat can be recovered. While it is desirable to recover oils frommaterials used in a fermentation process, it is recognized that oil canadditionally be recovered from materials whether or not they were usedin a fermentation process. For example, the presence of alcohol incombination with an organic solvent can be utilized to extract oil froma water and solids containing composition. The oil in the water andsolids containing composition can contain oil associated in some mannerwith the solids (e.g., particulates) therein.

Oil can be extracted from a beer stream into an organic solvent toprovide an organic phase containing the organic solvent and at least aportion of the oil from the beer stream. The beer stream refers to acomposition containing alcohol (e.g., ethanol), water, oil, andparticulates, and can be a result of a fermentation process. When thebeer stream is a result of a fermentation process, it can be referred toas a fermentation broth even if it is no longer being subjected tofermentation. For example, the beer stream can be referred to as afermentation broth even if alcohol and carbon dioxide are no longerbeing produced, and even if other components have been added to thefermentation broth. That is, there is no requirement that the beerstream or the fermentation broth are undergoing fermentation although itis likely, in many situations, that the beer stream or the fermentationbroth are undergoing fermentation (although at a slow rate) whensubjected to extraction for the removal of oil. In addition, it may bedesirable in certain situations to add alcohol to the fermentation brothin order to enhance separation of the oil from the fermentation broth.The alcohol can be added to a beer stream containing alcohol in order toincrease the amount of alcohol to a level that assists with oilextraction. The fermentation broth can still be referred to as afermentation broth even though an additional component (e.g., alcohol)has been added or a component (e.g., oil) has been removed. Afterextraction, the fermentation broth can be referred to as thefermentation broth or as the deoiled fermentation broth. Thefermentation broth, however, is no longer referred to as a fermentationbroth after being subjected to distillation for the removal of alcohol.It should be understood that the water and solids composition is notlimited to a fermentation broth. For example, the water and solidscomposition can be formed by adding alcohol to a composition containingwater, oil, and particulates.

The organic phase containing extracted oil can be separated from thebeer stream by known separation methods, such as decantation. The oilcan then be separated from the organic solvent by known methods, such asby evaporation. The resulting beer stream, having reduced oil content,can then be returned to the ethanol production process at the point ofremoval. The beer stream can be sent to a distillation system forisolation of the ethanol. Any further processing can be accomplished byknown methods, such as, for example, any of the various processesdescribed in PCT Publication WO 2004/057255, which is incorporatedherein by reference.

The beer can be provided as a result of various fermentation processes.Exemplary fermentation processes are described by, for example, U.S.Pat. No. 6,927,048 to Verser et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. U.S.2004/0187863 to Langhauser, U.S. Patent Publication No. U.S.2007/0099278 to Aare, and U.S. Patent Publication No. U.S. 2003/0077771to Verser. The disclosure of these references are incorporated herein byreference.

Now referring to FIG. 1, a process for the production of ethanol isshown schematically at reference number 10. The process can becharacterized as either a dry mill process or as a wet mill process. Theprocess 10 includes a beer well 12 and a distillation system 14. Ingeneral, the beer well 12 receives beer 16 from a fermentor or aplurality of fermentors. Commercial ethanol producing facilitiestypically provide a beer well as a reservoir for receiving beer fromseveral fermentors where the fermentation process in the fermentors istimed so that the fermentors release the beer to the beer well at adesired time. Typically, the fermentors are timed to release the beer tothe beer well at about the same time or in a sequential manner so thatthe downstream processing can be continuous. Because fermentation istypically a batch process, collecting the beer in the beer well 12allows for the downstream processing of the beer to be provided in arelatively continuous manner. Although the downstream processing isdescribed as continuous, it should be understood that the downstreamprocessing can provided as a batch process. The beer well 12 can includea carbon dioxide relief stream 13 for the removal of carbon dioxide. Itis fairly common for the beer well 12 to give off carbon dioxide eventhough the beer 16 has left the fermentors. The beer well 12 (or thefermentors) can be considered as providing a source of fermentationbroth.

The distillation system 14 is shown diagrammatically and can beprovided, for example, in a commercial ethanol producing facility as asingle distillation column or as a series of distillation columnsarranged in parallel or in series. The energy for driving thedistillation process can be provided in a number of ways. For thedistillation system 14, water vapor 25 (e.g., steam) can be feed to thedistillation system.

In general, the beer 18 flows from the beer well 12 to the distillationsystem 14 where the beer 18 is separated into a volatile fraction 20, abottoms fraction 22, and an intermediate fraction 24. In general, thevolatile fraction 20 includes alcohol and water, the bottoms fraction 22includes stillage, and the intermediate fraction 24 includes water. Thevarious fractions are not necessarily pure. For example, there may bealcohol and water in both the intermediate fraction 24 and the bottomsfraction 22.

The volatile fraction 20 generally includes alcohol and water. Becausealcohol and water form an azeotrope, a separation process other thandistillation can be provided to separate the remaining amount of waterfrom the alcohol when it is desirable to provide a more pure alcohol.The volatile fraction 20 can be processed through a screening process 30for the separation of alcohol and water. The screening process 30 can bereferred to as a sieve. In order to separate an azeotropic mixture ofalcohol and water, a technique other than distillation can be used suchas the screening process 30 which is known in the art. The resultingpurified alcohol 32 can be recovered. In general, the purified alcohol32 can be provided as 100 wt. % alcohol. Typically, the level of alcoholin the volatile fraction 20 can be up to about 95 wt. % alcohol.

The bottoms fraction 22 can include stillage. In general, stillageincludes a concentration of the particulates in the beer stream 18. Inaddition to the particulates, the stillage can include water, alcohol,oil, and other components such as glycerol and acetic acid, yeast, orother alcohol producing microorganism. The stillage can often bereferred as whole stillage, and can be centrifuged for separation intoat least two streams. One stream can include the relatively lightcomponents such as, for example, water, glycerol, and acetic acid, andcan be treated and either discarded or recycled. The other stream can bereferred as a high biological oxygen demand material and typicallyincludes the particulates and the oil. The oil typically remains tied upwith the particulates. The high biological oxygen demand material can beprocessed and recovered or disposed. Because of the presence of the oilin the material, the shelf life of the material can be relatively short.It is often desirable to use the material as livestock feed. Thepresence of the oil in the material, however, can cause the material tospoil.

Now referring to FIG. 2, a process for the production of ethanol, withthe removal of oil, is shown at reference number 50. The process 50includes a beer well 52, a distillation system 54, and an oil extractor55. As discussed previously, the beer well 52 receives beer 56 from afermentor or a plurality of fermentors. The fermentation process in thefermentors can be timed so that the fermentors release the beer to thebeer well at a desired time. For example, the release can be staggered.Collecting the beer in the beer well 52 allows for the downstreamprocessing of the beer to be provided in a relatively continuous manner.Alternatively, the downstream processing can be provided as batch, ifdesired. The beer well 52 can include a carbon dioxide relief stream 53for the removal of carbon dioxide. The beer well 52 or the fermentorscan be considered as providing a source of beer or fermentation broth.

The distillation system 54 is shown diagrammatically and can beprovided, for example, as a single distillation column or as a series ofdistillation columns arranged in parallel or in series. The energy fordriving the distillation system 54 can be provided by introducing watervapor 65 to the distillation system 65. Preferably, the water vapor 65is provided as steam. Alternative ways of driving the distillationsystem are known, and can be utilized, if desired.

The beer 58 flows from the beer well 52 to the oil extractor 55 for therecovery of oil 57 and deoiled beer 59. The distillation system 54 iswhere the deoiled beer 59 is separated into a volatile fraction 60, abottoms fraction 62, and an intermediate fraction 64. In general, thevolatile fraction 60 includes alcohol and water, the bottoms fraction 62includes stillage, and the intermediate fraction 64 includes water. Thevarious fractions are not necessarily pure. For example, there may bealcohol and water in both the intermediate fraction 64 and the bottomsfraction 62. The volatile fraction 60 generally includes alcohol andwater. Because alcohol and water form an azeotrope, a separation processcan be utilize to separate the remaining amount of water from thealcohol when it is desirable to provide additional separation. Thevolatile fraction 60 can be processed through a screening process 70 forthe separation of alcohol and water. The screening process 70 can bereferred to as a sieve. In order to separate an azeotropic mixture ofalcohol and water, a technique other than distillation can be used suchas the screening process 70. The resulting purified alcohol 72 can berecovered. In general, the purified alcohol 72 can be provided up toabout 100 wt. % alcohol. Typically, the level of alcohol in the volatilefraction 60 can be up to about 95 wt. % alcohol.

The bottoms fraction 62 can include stillage. In general, stillageincludes a concentration of the particulates from the deoiled beerstream 59. The stillage can be referred to deoiled stillage, and can becentrifuged for separation into at least two streams. One stream can bereferred to as a relatively light stream and includes the relativelylight components such as, for example, water, alcohol, and othercomponents that might be present including glycerol and acetic acid. Theother component can be referred to as a relatively heavy stream and caninclude the heavier components such as the particulates. It should beunderstood, however, that the relatively heavy stream can also includewater and alcohol. Because of the removal of oil in the oil extractor55, there is a reduced amount of oil present in the stillage. Because ofa reduced amount of oil, the shelf life of the stillage can be enhanced,and the stillage may be more useful as an animal feed source comparedwith stillage that contains a larger amount of oil.

The oil extractor 55 can be characterized as either a liquid-liquidextractor or a liquid-solid extractor. In general, the oil present inthe beer stream 58 is typically associated with the particulates in thebeer stream 58. The extent of the association of the oil with theparticulates is not fully understood. Because the oil is not verysoluble in water, one theory is that the oil becomes more associatedwith the particulates in a water based stream containing the oil andparticulates. The particulates can be referred to as fermentationparticulates or stillage forming particulates. The beer stream 58 cantypically be considered a liquid even though there are particulateswithin the liquid. By introducing an organic phase 80 to the oilextractor 55, it is possible to extract oil from the beer stream 58 intothe organic phase 80 to provide an organic phase containing at least aportion of the oil. While it may be desirable to extract all of the oilfrom the beer stream 58, the level of oil recovery can be at least about75%. As a result of the separation of oil from the beer stream 58, it isrecognized that the deoiled beer stream 59 may contain oil although at areduced concentration compared with the beer stream 58. It is generallydesirable to recover as much of the oil as possible from the beer stream58. Accordingly, it is desirable to recover at least about 75% of theoil from the beer stream 58. In addition, as a result of extraction, thedeoiled beer stream 59 may contain a greater weight percent of alcohol.

An oil extraction process can be characterized by the generic flowdiagram shown in FIG. 3 at reference number 100. The oil extractionprocess 100 includes two subprocesses. The subprocesses include processA which is the extraction of oil from a beer stream 102, and process Bwhich is a separation of oil 104 from an organic phase containing oil106.

In process A, the beer stream 102 is combined with an organic solvent108 in the extractor 103. The beer stream 102 and the organic solvent108 can be allowed to contact each other for a sufficient amount of timeto allow for oil to move from the beer stream 102 to the organic solvent108. The total residence time in the oil extractor 103 can vary. Anexemplary residence time that can provide desired removal of the oil isabout 10 minutes to about 40 minutes. In addition, the ratio of the beerstream 102 to the organic solvent 108 can be selected to provide thedesired separation of the oil from the beer stream 102 while alsoconsidering the subsequent desirability of separating the oil from theorganic solvent. For example, increasing the amount of organic solventin the oil extractor 103 can help increase the level a separation of theoil from the beer stream 102. At some point, however, the increaseseparation of oil from the beer stream 102 may be negated by the addedcost necessary to separate the oil from the organic solvent. Anexemplary volumetric ratio of the beer stream to the organic solvent canbe about 1:3 to about 3:1, and preferably about 2:1 to about 1:2. Adesired volumetric ratio of the beer stream to the organic solvent canbe about 1:1.

The organic solvent is selected so that it provides a separation phasewhen combined with the beer stream, and allows for the separation of oilfrom the beer stream. In addition, the organic solvent can be selectedto provide easy of separation of the oil from the organic solvent. Thesolvent can be select to provide relatively low solubility with ethanol,low solubility with water, and ease of separation from the oil generallybased on differential heat of vaporization or enthalpy of vaporization.

The type and amount of organic solvent can be selected to provide adesired level of separation of the oil from the beer stream. In general,it is expected that not all of the oil will be separated from the beerstream. That is, less than 100% of the oil will likely be removed fromthe beer stream by extraction. Preferably, at least about 75% of the oilcan be removed from the beer stream by extraction. Preferably, at leastabout 80%, at least about 90%, or at least about 95% of the oil in thebeer stream can be recovered by extraction.

As a result of extraction in the oil extractor 103, the solvent phasecontaining oil 106 is recovered and the deoiled beer stream 110 isrecovered. The organic phase containing oil 106 can be referred to asmiscella. The deoiled beer steam 110 comprises the beer steam 102 minusthe oil, and can be referred to as the spent beer stream or the spentfermentation broth.

Exemplary organic solvents that can be used include alkanes, alkenes,ethers, aldehydes, aromatic hydrocarbons, and mixtures thereof. Inaddition, the organic solvents can be halogenated form of the organicsolvents. An exemplary alkane that can be used includes hexane. Anexemplary halogenated solvent that can be used includes n-propylbromide.

In process B, the miscella 106 is treated for the separation of the oil104 from the organic phase 112 in the evaporator 105. The oil 104 can bereferred to crude oil, and is typically recovered as a result of heatingand boiling off the organic phase. The resulting organic phase 112 canbe reclaimed and reused. The evaporator 105 can be provided as a fallingfilm or other type of evaporator. The separation may be done atatmospheric conditions or under a vacuum.

In a dry mill, fuels ethanol plant, the beer stream to the liquid liquidextractor can contain, for example, about 13 wt. % ethanol, about 2 wt.% glycerin, about 2 wt. % oil, about 12 wt. % solids, and about 71 wt. %water. Approximately 88% of the oil present in the beer stream isunderstood to be contained within the solids, and the remainder isunderstood to be residing closely with the solids.

As mentioned above, the presence of the ethanol in the feed streamallows the solvent to extract the oil out of the solids. The ethanolacts to bind the water present, which in turn allows the solvent tocontact the solids and the oil. Generally, the feed stream containssufficient levels of ethanol to enable this process. However, ethanolcan be added to the feed stream if there is an insufficient pre-existingamount of a water binding agent. In addition, other alcohols may beuseful in the extraction process. Exemplary alcohols that can be usedwith ethanol or in place of ethanol include short chain alcohols suchas, for example, alcohols containing six or fewer carbon atoms.Exemplary short chain alcohols include ethanol, propanol, isopropanol,butanol, pentanol, hexanol, and mixtures thereof. Furthermore, the shortchain alcohol(s) can be added to assist with the extraction.

As an example, from an initial corn feed of 700 lb/min (which has about14 lbs oil), approximately 11 lbs of crude corn oil can be readilyobtained. The amount of oil obtained is dependent on the extractionefficiency, but typically the amount of oil obtained will be at least75%, often at least 80%, preferably at least 90%, and most preferably atleast 95% of the total oil present in the initial corn feed. The oil notremoved via the extraction remains in the beer stream with the cornsolids.

Now referring to FIG. 4, an apparatus for the extraction and recovery ofoil is shown at reference number 150. The apparatus 150 includes aliquid liquid extraction column 152, and an evaporator 154. In general,beer 160 enters the liquid-liquid extraction column 152 near the top162, and an organic solvent 164 enters the column 152 near the bottom166. For this liquid-liquid extraction column, the beer stream 160 isheavier than the organic solvent 164 and, as a result, the organicsolvent 164 flows toward the upper part 162 and the beer stream 160flows toward the bottom 166. As a result of residence and contact withinthe column 152, the oil moves from the beer stream 160 to the organicphase generated by the organic solvent 164. The resulting miscella 170(containing organic solvent and oil) leaves the column 152 and isprocessed to the evaporator 154. The deoiled beer 172 can be referred tospent beer and can be processed for the recovery of alcohol by, forexample, distillation. In the evaporator 154, the miscella 170 isprocessed for the separation of the oil and the organic solvent.Typically, the separation is caused by heating the miscella so that theorganic solvent is evaporated. The organic solvent can be recovered viathe organic solvent outlet 180, and the oil can be recovered via the oiloutlet 182. The oil recovered via the outlet can be referred to asconcentrated or cure oil.

For the apparatus in FIG. 4, the beer stream can be provided as afermentation broth resulting from the fermentation of corn, and theorganic solvent provided can be hexane. Furthermore, the volumetricratio of the beer stream to hexane can be about 3:1 to about 1:3, andcan be about 2:1 to about 1:2. As the column 152 fills from the top withthe beer stream and from the bottom with hexane, two layers form. As thehexane rises up through the beer stream, the hexane and the beer streamcontact and at least a portion of the oil dissolves in the hexane. Theresulting miscella can be conveyed to the evaporator where the stream isheated to a temperature and pressure such that it causes the hexane tovaporize and separate from the oil. The hexane can be conveyed to a lowtemperature source such as a condenser where the vapors are cooled tothe point of becoming a liquid again. Once a liquid, the hexane can bediscarded or sent to storage for recycle/reuse in the extraction processor in another process.

As the hexane is vaporized and removed from the miscella, the oilbecomes more concentrated. The concentrated (or crude) oil is sent tostorage or is further processed for additional removal of hexane orother impurities.

The evaporator may be run at atmospheric pressure or at a reducedpressure. The evaporator may be of several design types or may be inseveral stages. The extractor may also be of several designconfigurations from something as simple as an empty column to one fullof stages and agitators.

While the process has been exemplified in the context of recovery ofcorn oil, it should be understood that the process can be applied toother vegetable oils and to non-vegetable oils such as oils found in afermentation broth or non-fermentation broth. Exemplary non-vegetableoils that can be recovered from a fermentation broth include those oilsfrom fruit (e.g., citrus fruit and fermenting fruits), from hops, fromyeast, from additives to reduce foaming, from a recycle material (e.g.,candy), etc. In general, the reference to a water and solids compositionrefers to a composition that contains water (preferably at least about50 wt. % water), solids (e.g., particulates), oil associated with thesolids, and a sufficient amount of alcohol to assist with the extractioninto an organic phase. The particulates can be provided as a result ofgrinding or pulverizing a material to increase surface area, and can beprovided to include yeast. The water and solids composition can beprovided as a beer stream or as a fermentation broth, or it can be acomposition that has not been subjected to fermentation.

The foregoing description, which has been disclosed by way of the abovediscussion and the drawings, addresses embodiments of the presentdisclosure encompassing the principles of the present invention. Themethods maybe changed, modified and/or implemented using various typesof equipment and arrangements. Those skilled in the art will readilyrecognize various modifications and changes which may be made to thedescribed methods and equipment without strictly following the exemplaryembodiments illustrated and described herein, and without departing fromthe scope of the present invention.

1-24. (canceled)
 25. An ethanol production facility comprising: (a) asource of fermentation broth containing oil, ethanol, water, andparticulates; (b) a liquid-liquid extractor for the recovery of at leasta portion of the oil from the fermentation broth, the extractorcomprising an organic phase inlet, a fermentation broth inletconstructed to receive fermentation broth from the source offermentation broth, a miscella outlet, and a deoiled fermentation brothoutlet; and (c) a distillation system constructed to receive deoiledfermentation broth from the liquid-liquid extractor and provide avolatile stream comprising concentrated ethanol.
 26. An ethanolproduction facility according to claim 25, wherein the source offermentation broth comprises a beer well constructed to provide acontinuous stream of the fermentation broth to the liquid-liquidextractor.
 27. An ethanol production facility according to claim 26,further comprising: (a) a fermentor that feeds the fermentation broth tothe beer well.
 28. An ethanol production facility according to claim 26,further comprising: (a) a plurality fermentors that feed thefermentation broth to the beer well.
 29. An ethanol production facilityaccording to claim 26, wherein the beer well comprises a carbon dioxiderelief stream for removal of carbon dioxide:
 30. An ethanol productionfacility according to claim 25, wherein the distillation systemcomprises a single distillation column.
 31. An ethanol productionfacility according to claim 25, wherein the distillation systemcomprises a plurality of distillation columns.
 32. An ethanol productionfacility according to claim 25, wherein the deoiled fermentation brothoutlet is constructed to convey deoiled fermentation broth to thedistillation system.
 33. An ethanol production facility according toclaim 25, further comprising an evaporator for separating miscella fromthe miscella outlet of the liquid-liquid extractor into a crude oil andan organic solvent.
 34. An ethanol production facility according toclaim 26, comprising an ethanol inlet for introducing ethanol into thesource of fermentation broth prior to the liquid-liquid extractor. 35.An ethanol production facility comprising: (a) a source of fermentationbroth containing oil, ethanol, water, and particulates; (b) aliquid-solid extractor for the recovery of at least a portion of the oilfrom the fermentation broth, the extractor comprising an organic phaseinlet, a fermentation broth inlet constructed to receive fermentationbroth from the source of fermentation broth, a miscella outlet, and adeoiled fermentation broth outlet; and (c) a distillation systemconstructed to receive deoiled fermentation broth from the liquid-solidextractor and provide a volatile stream comprising concentrated ethanol.36. An ethanol production facility according to claim 35, wherein thesource of fermentation broth comprises a beer well constructed toprovide a continuous stream of the fermentation broth to theliquid-liquid extractor.
 37. An ethanol production facility according toclaim 36, further comprising: (a) a fermentor that feeds thefermentation broth to the beer well.
 38. An ethanol production facilityaccording to claim 36, further comprising: (a) a plurality fermentorsthat feed the fermentation broth to the beer well.
 39. An ethanolproduction facility according to claim 36, wherein the beer wellcomprises a carbon dioxide relief stream for removal of carbon dioxide:40. An ethanol production facility according to claim 35, wherein thedistillation system comprises a single distillation column.
 41. Anethanol production facility according to claim 35, wherein thedistillation system comprises a plurality of distillation columns. 42.An ethanol production facility according to claim 35, wherein thedeoileld fermentation broth outlet is constructed to convey deoiledfermentation broth to the distillation system.
 43. An ethanol productionfacility according to claim 35, further comprising an evaporator forseparating miscella from the miscella outlet of the liquid-solidextractor into a crude oil and an organic solvent.
 44. An ethanolproduction facility according to claim 36, comprising an ethanol inletfor introducing ethanol into the source of fermentation broth prior tothe liquid-solid extractor.
 45. A method for extracting oil from a waterand solids composition, the method comprising steps of: (a) providing awater and solids composition that has not been subject to fermentation,the water and solids composition comprising water, solids, oilassociated with the solids, and a sufficient amount of alcohol to assistwith the extraction of the oil from the water and solids composition;(b) extracting the oil from the water and solids composition of step (a)with an organic solvent selected from the group consisting of alkanes,alkenes, ethers, aldehydes, aromatic hydrocarbons, and mixtures thereofand forming: (i) a miscella comprising the organic solvent and the oil;and (ii) a deoiled water and solids composition comprising the water,the solids, and the alcohol; and (c) separating the oil from the organicsolvent in the miscella.
 46. A method for extracting oil from a waterand solids composition according to claim 45, wherein the organicsolvent comprises a halogenated organic solvent.
 47. A method forextracting oil from a water and solids composition according to claim45, wherein the step of extracting comprises combining the water andsolids composition with the organic solvent at a weight ratio of thewater and solids composition to the organic solvent of about 3:1 toabout 1:3.
 48. A method for extracting oil from a water and solidscomposition according to claim 45, wherein the step of extractingcomprising combining the water and solids composition with the organicsolvent at a weight ration of the water and solids composition to theorganic solvent of about 2:1 to 1:2.
 49. A method for extracting oilfrom a water and solids composition according to claim 45, wherein thewater and solids composition comprises alcohol, oil, water, andparticulates.
 50. A method for extracting oil from a water and solidscomposition according to claim 45, wherein the water and solidscomposition comprises about 5 wt. % to about 30 wt. % ethanol.
 51. Amethod for extracting oil from a water and solids composition accordingto claim 45, wherein the water and solids composition comprises about0.5 wt. % to about 2.5 wt. % oil.
 52. A method for extracting oil from awater and solids composition according to claim 45, wherein at leastabout 75% of the oil in the water and solids composition is extracted.